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14 Gallons of pure addiction...


jdantunes

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How are your nitrate levels with the 3 fish? Any thoughts on your next corals?

 

Hello Jon. Thanks for reading. I have been busy too and didn't update for quite a while. But I been keeping my Bio Cube very well. I dedicate around 15 mins. daily and about 30 mins. every couple of weeks for water change and regular maintenance routine.

 

I keep my system with stock lights and pump. I added Stevie T media rack, where I run filter floss, Chaeto with underwater light, and ChemiPure Elite (which I'm planning replacing every six months). I waited until my system was a little over six months to add the six line wrasse, all my parameters has been very stable until now. Undetectable Nitrite, Nitrate and Ammonia. All other parameters in check.

 

I been mixing my water using Red Sea Pro Salt and LFS bought RODI water since the beginning. But my local store is having problems and the quality of water they are selling is bad. I'm planning to get my own RODI system and stop going to the store for water.

 

About more corals, I really want to add a Trachyphyllia open brain coral, but I'm holding for a nice specimen. Don't think of adding anything else to these system after that. My new system still in planning stage, got to get rid of some debt first B)

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Yea I hear you on the money situation. I havnt really been ae to add anything lately because money is tight. I usually do weekly water changes with store bought RO/DI water and I mix my own salt with Tropic Marin salt mix. I have the Stevie T media rack as well with filter floss, poly pad, chemi pure elite, and purigen. That reminds me I need to switch out the chemi pure and reactivate the purgen.

 

Jon

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got a Sun Coral Frag this week. I have read about how demanding this coral is. But I fell it will be OK. I do not run a skimmer and I feed my tank on a regular basis. I place this frag underneath a rock cave, away from the light. I hope does well!

 

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Diagonal Look - Actinic light only... Moved my plate coral to the right side...

 

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I visit four stores last Tuesday and decided to get a nice small colony of Dendrophyllia and place them next to my sun coral. It really is a nice addition to my tank :)

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just read through your entire thread and just as I thought from the 1st pic on, your tank has matured beautifully. From a solid start to a vibrant and aesthetically excellent results! Your latest FTS looks now like the tanks that made me (among others) try saltwater in first place! Inspirational! :thumbsup:

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Thanks for the kind words Aquanist. Is going to be eleven months running without much complications. I really like the look of it but like everyone who starts in this hobby, you get to a point were you need to have more space.

 

But well, keeping in mind that my tank has been very stable for all this time. I have decided to push the limits and add one more fish. I know four fishes in a 14 Gallon cube is a risk, but they are all really small and my last fish will be the smallest of all. I order from Reef2Go.com a Tail Spot Blenny. I really enjoy reading and looking at posted pictures of other members who own this kind of fish. And I really want one, so I order it along with 10 Cerith snails to replenish my CUC. Delivery will be tomorrow. ;)

 

I'll try to post pics soon...I think this fish will be a nice addition to my nano reef...

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Really, Really nice tank. I was wondering if you are still running still with stock equipment ? I've always kept my BC14 with a karillo nano but just recently removed it bcs I like the way my mushrooms open without it, but Im worried that I may not have enough flow now. Your tank looks great !!

 

 

 

Jeff

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Hey Jeff. Thanks for your reply.

 

I'm still running stock lights (replaced bulbs at 10 months running with a new set of fans) and stock pump. I added Stevie T media rack since initial setup. Where I run filter floss, Chaeto with underwater light, and ChemiPure Elite (which I'm planning replacing every six months).

 

I did add a Koralia nano for a few weeks, but the temperature in my tank was going up close to 84F. I live in FL and I don't keep my house to cold. I set my house thermostat to 77 during the day and 74 at night. Now that I don't run the Koralia my tank stays at 78, and all my corals seems to be okay with the stock flow. No algae visible, but I keep a good CUC in my tank at all times.

 

I'll try to post a new FTS later on today... :D

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Well a little late, but here goes a quick update and pics;

 

I received my first fish bought online, and was a great experience. My spot tail blenny is a funny little fish, it won't grow more than 2.5" which is great for the space I can give him for now. It seems that he's getting along with all his new tank mates... :lol:

 

Let me show the pics of what's new in my little piece of ocean reef...

 

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Ricordea rock is looking very full now. A couple of them has split.

 

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This orange plate was given to me from another club member. He told me that was not doing great on his tank. It has been in mine for a couple of months now and it looks and eats very well.

 

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Dendros are doing very good. I got a little Cyano growing over the body of it. Is the only piece in my tank with Cyano. I'm going to keep a close eye on it before I treat the tank. You guys can see my Sun Polyps in the back also doing very good for me.

 

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Here's my fish crew. Pair of clowns, Six line Wrasse and Spot Tail Blenny. All my parameters has been stable for over eleven months and I hope to keep them that way with my regular routine of maintenance.

 

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And at last my FTS. Not much has changed, I moved and added new corals and bought my last fish for this tank. I feel I have completed these nano. I will just take care of it until the time for an upgrade comes around...

 

Let me know what you think, and of course I will answer any questions you guys may have...

 

Thanks for looking... ;)

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  • 4 weeks later...
fiddly_foo

Great tank wrote you a pm asking a few ?'s about your newest add. the tail spot was looking for one for my BC14.. talk to you soon great tank and best of luck Brian

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jdantunes

Thanks for all the good thoughts and for reading my thread everyone... B)

 

Nothing new has happen in my tank since the last update. Nothing...just coral growth!

I'm going to start giving corals that I don't plan to move in to my new tank to local newbies. My plan is that after my upgrade finish cycle, my BioCube will be my quarantine tank.

 

The Spot Tail Blennie is really a cool fish. I enjoy watching him swimming around or just perching over the rocks. I'll send more info about him in my pm response, Brian.

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jdantunes
You sell that Tech tank? What has been going on haven't seen you around in a while.

 

Hey, Lawman!

 

I been around, but not posting much. Sorry about your mini crash, I read that you lost plenty of livestook.

 

Nope, I changed my mind about the Tech tank. I bought a Coralife fixture 2X250W HQI, PC + LED's.

Now I'm just debating with the idea of ordering the Oceanic American Oak Black stand priced at 598+tax or try to build my own.

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jdantunes

It is time to clean my InTank Media Basket and replace my ChemiPure Elite. So, went to the My LFS today, to pick some ChemiPure and looked at all the different kinds of new frags they have at a very reasonable price. $$$

 

I'm going to give away all my Yellow Bottom Polyps and a small colony of green keys Zoanthids that I don't want to move to my new tank. Gaining some space back in my nano, I could not resist myself of buying a frag of bright neon green Favia that I would like to keep.

 

Is difficult to take a picture of it under actinics, but you guys can see a piece of it below my sun corals... :D

 

IMG_2654.jpg

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latteslave

Wow... Can't believe I did not see this one before. The grow out from the start to today is great! If you're next tank is going to be as nice, I can't wait to see it.

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  • 6 months later...

Hey jdantunes,

 

I haven't stopped on here in a while and glad to see that the 14 gallon biocube is still doing well. I still have mine but just lost a clown the other week. Can't wait to see your tank upgrade because this tank sure was a success and looking forward to what the next tank has in store for us.

 

Jon

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  • 2 months later...
  • 5 months later...
ThePhilosopher

Holy mother of softies. Beautiful tank and beautiful coral growth. I love how you can see how the tank progresses from a couple of rocks to pretty much a jungle of corals.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Let me dust off this thread a little... UPDATE TIME!

 

I'm finally finish building my upgrade tank. And I'm about a day or two of completing the plumbing and start filling it. Here's a picture of it...

 

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This will be the final three months of my BioCube. I really enjoy it and learned plenty with this tank. I will really recommend anybody starting this hobby to start with a nano system like this one and if you really like the hobby after a couple of years then jump into deeper waters. It takes a lot responsibility, understanding and patience to be successful in this hobby. This is a lot more than "having Nemo and his friends in your home".

 

A lot had happen in my tank. I sold some corals that I was not interested in transferring to my new reef (GSP, Yellow Polyps, Mushrooms). I bought some small colonies from members that quit the hobby and started to fill a little frag rack I made.

 

Here is the latest FTS with the corals that I have keep...

 

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Some of the corals in the frag rack...

 

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I will transfer my livestock and empty this tank by the end of the year. After that I'm thinking to set it as a quarantine tank.

 

In the two years plus that this system has been running, I managed to only lose one fish. My tail spot blenny. He got some kind of digestive problem and died a little after. I keep him for a year. And if you had read my thread you seen that I lost some corals too, but this was just because of lack of information and experience.

 

Now, I feel more that prepare to take my new quest. Let's see what I can do with this new tank...

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